ex-HMS INVINCIBLE as conventional carrier INDEPENDENCIA, Completed

[sandiego89]

Although I am not a "Navy" person I have read a little bout the agnled decks and why they came about. The reason behind them was so that aircraft landing on the carrier would have a clear run from the rear of the carrier over the side so they could "go around" if necessary or even end up in the drink if things went bad without runing into any aircraft further forward on the deck. It looks to me that your angles deck will not allow this in it's presant form. The angled deck is not just a place to fit a catapult, which has to be steam powered as the US Navy is only now in the process of trials, with industry, of electro-magnetic catapults so you should be takeing the capabilities and requirements of a steam catapult into account as well in your refit.

Love the basic idea though  

   

Gondor

Gondor, correct this layout will not allow room for both "go arounds" and forward parking. The angled deck was to allow go arounds while still have deck parking forward and to eliminate the barrier system to catch aircraft that failed to catch an arresting gear wire. Previous straight decks had to have a barrier to prevent over runs into parked aircraft forward.  But a straight deck would still allow a go around if no aircraft were parked forward and the barriers were down/inactive.  So this will be a straight deck or very slight angled deck.  A "bolter" (failure to catch any cross deck wires) will require the use of the whole deck.  So this straight deck is very limited in terms of parking and does not allow simultaneous launchings and recoveries.  This ship will allow the launching of a few jets for anti-ship strikes and other tasks. Parking will be on the extreme starboard side out of the landing area.    

[Gondor]

The angled deck was to allow go arounds while still have deck parking forward and to eliminate the barrier system to catch aircraft that failed to catch an arresting gear wire. Previous straight decks had to have a barrier to prevent over runs into parked aircraft forward.  But a straight deck would still allow a go around if no aircraft were parked forward and the barriers were down/inactive.  So this will be a straight deck or very slight angled deck.  A "bolter" (failure to catch any cross deck wires) will require the use of the whole deck.  So this straight deck is very limited in terms of parking and does not allow simultaneous launchings and recoveries.  This ship will allow the launching of a few jets for anti-ship strikes and other tasks. Parking will be on the extreme starboard side out of the landing area.    

Part of the reason there are aircraft parked on the deck of a carrier rather than being stowed below is because of space, there is next to none on any ship let alone a carrier so thats why they park as many as they can on the deck so that they can work on the rest in the hanger. As for the barrier..... are you sure you want a Jet aircraft that has a problem to crash into a barrier and maybe go through the barreir onto the bow of your carrier? The angled deck was built for a reason and there was a good reason not to build a part angled deck, it didn't work! No carrier ever constructed has the configuration you are proposing, if you simply want to provide an area to house a catapult you may as well have one faceing the rear of the ship if your not going to make a full angled deck into which it fits and it would be as equily daft. Ships cost money and any navy tries not to spend more than it needs to so they would make sure what they were building worked, there is also a whole host of experience, over 50 years of operational use of a fully angled deck.
Go for what works and has done.

Gondor

[sandiego89]

Work on the airwing has bugun- kit bashing in 1/700 scale.

Front row is the start of the Super Entendard assembly line.

A-4 Skyhawks in the next row. 

Start with the Yak-38.
Take the wings off.
Chop the tail off.
A-6 Intruder outer wing panels serve as the template for the SuE wings.
Wings cut out off thin styrene.  
Scratch tail and horizontal stab from thin styrene.  




Will build around 6 Super Entendards.  A few Skyhawks and a straight wing trainer.  

[sandiego89]

Super Entendards shaping up.  Still need a little cleanup and detail work.  Several armed with Exocet on the starboard wing. Each aircraft had 10 pieces.  Think I better get some magnyfying specs soon 

[Captain Canada]

Wow...what a neat idea ! Sounds like it would work to me. Glad you went with the angled deck. Great work on turning the wee Forgers into Super Entendards ! They look real !

[pyro-manic]

Nice work on the SuEs!

[sandiego89]

Catapult installed, a Mitchell Brown BS4 long stroke model with a 180 foot track.  Primer on the flight deck.  Unfinished SuE hooking up to the launch briddle. 

[sandiego89]

Made seme progres.  Decided to go waterline, so cut the hull with the dremel.  Made a partial aft hanger as seen near the top of the picture on the upside down flight deck, so the aft elevator can be displayed up or down.

Air wing painted. 

[NARSES2]

Nice work on the SuEs!

Have to agree

[eatthis]

Nice work on the SuEs!

Have to agree

+1 they look great!

[Captain Canada]

Waterline is the only way to go. If you're going to go through all the trouble of making an active flight deck, the boat itself has to be active !

And I see Sea Kings in your future......excellent !

[sandiego89]

Thank you guys.

Completed.   The INDEPENDENCIA (V-2) turns into the wind to launch a pair of Exocet armed Super Entendards for a patrol near some disputed territory.  

Back Story:
The scrapping plans for the ex-HMS INVINCIBLE at a Turkish scrap yard fell apart at the last minute due to financial problems and environmental pressure.  After bouncing around a few Mediteranean ports for a few months, a new deal was secured with an Asian scrap yard.  While being towed dead-ship in the South Atlantic a fire erupted aboard the tow vessel and the carrier was left adrift.  Disputes over costs and salvage plans came to nothing and some enterprising South American scrap merchants secured the vessel and were eventually given full salvage rights in a convoluted legal process.

The ship was rebuilt and converted as a conventional CATOABAR carrier (Catapult assisted take off but arrested recovery) as the INDEPENDENCIA V-2.  She has a single 180 foot stroke steam catapult powered by newly installed auxiliary boilers, and three cross deck arresting wires.  The normal air wing consists of 4 Super Entendards, 4 Skyhawks and 5 helos, but was highly dependent on the mission and could be augmented in times of high tension.  10-14 helos of various types would be carried in when operating in the commando role.    
 
The kit: Dragon 1/700 Invincible.  New deck of styrene. Heavily weathered the deck.  Went with the green seen on some later Colosus carriers in South American service.  
Display base. Sea and waves made of paintable caulk, sculpted and spray painted blue, with dry drushed white for the wakes/waves.
Air Wing:
1/700 S-3 Sea Kings, Trumpeter
1/700 Super Entendards. Aoshima Yak-38 fuselage, scratch wings, landing gear, tail and stores.  10 pieces each!
1/720 A-4 Skyhawks, old Revell kit.  

Underway, launching SuE's




Elevator in the raised postion bringing a Skyhawk up from the hanger deck.



[img]http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/sandiego89/inv883_zps26896c8e.jpg

[Gondor]

That looks good especially the Etendard's 

Gondor

[Hobbes]

Well done, and an interesting idea to convert such a small ship to a CTOL carrier.

[Captain Canada]

Awesome ! looks like the real thing to me 

I use toothpics dipped in paint to make small roundels. Cut part of the end off to make a larger roundel, then use the tip of another to do the inside colour.